Just diagnosed with IBC. Where to go for treatment?

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Liz06
Liz06 Member Posts: 7
edited July 2015 in IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)

I've just been diagnosed with IBC and am trying to decide where to go for treatment. There are places near my home, but they admit they haven't seen much IBC. I live about 5 hours from the Mayo Clinic but am also looking at MD Anderson, which is about 14 hours (or an airplane ride) away.Any advice on traveling far from home for treatment? Should I go for MD Anderson and their IBC Clinic or would Mayo be just as good? It's so hard to know.....

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  • bride
    bride Member Posts: 382
    edited July 2015

    Liz,

    Both MD Anderson are superb treatment centers. Your choice maybe more about transportation than anything. Most of us had neo-adjuvant chemo every 3 weeks for about 6 months before surgery and, after some time to heal from surgery, it's common to have 6 weeks of radiation -- for that you can stay at a Hope Lodge at either location.

    Have you gotten your pathology report? Your results may be a factor in which place you choose. Please free to share them, there are some women here who know more about pathology reports than some docs.

    You might also want to check whether there is a NCI designated treatment center close to you. You can do that here: www.cancer.gov/research/nci-role/cancer-centers

    Hope this helps (sorry, for some reason I can't get out of bold).

    bride

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited July 2015

    I went to my local Cancer Care Center and had great care. I would not have wanted to be hours away from my Center. (My Chemo Dr is on the Boards at several other Large facilities.)

    Not all do the same TX plan. I did 4 DD A/C (every 2 weeks) neoadjuvant. UMX was 2 weeks after last A/C. 3 weeks after UMX, started 12 weekly Taxol. A week after last Taxol started 25 rads. A week after starting rads started Femara. Most will do 2 different chemos both neoadjuvant, not 1 neoadjuvant and 1 adjuvant as I did. But we are all different as are our Drs. It worked forfor me - next month I will be 6 yrs since DX and still NED.

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